


Flying Koshka: Challenge 2- Just Another Fork In The Road

by Extraho



Series: Flying Koshka [5]
Category: Dexter (TV), Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 14:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Extraho/pseuds/Extraho
Summary: Lyla knows her fiancee has been sleeping with his best friend. They have some real talk about their expectation from their future marriageThis picks up from Chapter 26 (Part 4, 4.2)





	Flying Koshka: Challenge 2- Just Another Fork In The Road

**Author's Note:**

> So in Flying Koshka, this picks up from Chapter 26 (Part 4, 4.2), but for context of Opie/Jax, read Part 2. 
> 
> Direct link to Part 2.  
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7576909/chapters/19626139

His fiancee was doing dishes and incidentally also doing a fine job of ignoring him, even as she shot him a smile as he sat down. Ope observed her fluttering about for a while before he sighed heavily. “Lyla, look… can we not pretend for a moment?”

Lyla paused, a look of uncertainty crossing her face, “What do you mean?” 

“You’re not in love with me,” Ope stated quite plainly. 

Lyla paused her movements. Carefully setting dishes down, she picked up her coffee and turned around. “And… you’re not in love with me,” she said bravely, jutting her chin out to give herself a small ounce of confidence. She had not wanted to have this conversation. The marriage would be very convenient to her and Piper. 

“Its okay, Lyla,” Ope said. “I think… I think we need to talk about what we really want and expect from this marriage that we’re going into.” Ope winced as he saw his fiancee’s frame vibrating with tension. “Look, I’ll go first,” he offered. “I like you, I care deeply for you. A part of me loves you. But what I want from this marriage, what I’m looking for and what I need is some stability.” Lyla sagged in relief at his words. “For myself, my kids. If something happens to me, if I get shot or go to jail, I need to know that someone capable can take care of them.” Ope bit his lip and gestured at Lyla. “Your turn.”

She sighed heavily. “I… I care for you too, Ope. I really do. But… yeah. I want the same. Security. I want a home. I want… for Piper to have siblings… and a dad. To not be surrounded by junkies, like at our old place. I do love you Ope, I just don’t think we’re in love with each other. Not like that. Not like… you don’t look at me the way you look…” a pained look crossed her face, “…at Jax,” she finally said softly. 

Ope nodded to himself. “Jax needs me right now.” 

Lyla huffed, “It’s not just right now, Ope. I know… I saw the file. I read Hale’s letter.” Ope flexed his jaw, irritated, but didn’t say anything. “Can I tell you what I think?” She asked. Ope nodded. “I think you wanted to take his place, so that if Jax’s ex came back there would be no room for him in his life.”

Ope nodded. Lyla knew him quite well. “That just about sums it up.” 

“But you got attached, Ope. You were having sex with him, and it wasn’t just sex. It meant something. You have feelings for him, I can tell. Real shit type feelings.” 

“I don’t think Jax will continue this when we’re married,” Ope said. “Not his style.” 

Lyla sighed sadly. “Ope… if you have a chance to be with someone you love that much, don’t give it up.”

“And what about you? And the kids?” 

“We can make custody arrangements. Testaments. We can platonically co-parent. There are so many options,” she offered, even as her stomach grew heavy with anxiety at the uncertainty that would bring her future. “Marriage is just the easiest one.” 

“And if he doesn’t mind?” 

“Then we have an open marriage. A platonic marriage?” 

“And if you meet someone?” 

“I have sex for a living Ope, I don’t look for cock on my spare time,” she replied flatly. 

Ope rolled his eyes. He should have seen that coming. “But if you meet someone?” 

“Then we have an open marriage. And if that doesn’t work anymore, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” 

“It sounds so easy in theory.” 

Lyla nodded, chewing on her lip, “It does.”

“They don’t get out until the day of the wedding,” Ope pointed out. 

“If you can’t marry me, we’ll just have a party. Ope, I’ve seen pretty much every relationship all of my friends have had turn to shit. I can’t have it on my conscience to have taken away the potential for something real for you. If you and Jax don’t work out, we can always sign documents at the courthouse later- for that security we both want.”

“I don’t know what to tell him.”

“Tell him I knew from the beginning,” she shrugged. A white lie that could save so much. “That he was never a secret. It’s the truth. Even if you didn’t tell me yourself.” 

#

After getting out, Jax sat sipping a beer in the parking lot at TM, deep in thought. He hated being in his head like this, unable to actually do anything to better his situation, or ask for help. The only thing he could do was wait until the war came to him. He’d had his emotional breakdown and venting with Tara - god bless her - now it was time to get his shit together. Isaak was here. Nothing could change that. 

Opie sat down next to him and stretched out in the setting sun like a lazy cat. “What’s on your mind, man?” Jax just raised a brow at him. “Don’t give me that look. I have eyes in my skull.” 

“Ain’t nothing…”

“I might have been in prison for most of my marriage, but I’ve been married long enough to know when someone says nothing and fine, abso-fucking-lutely nothing is even remotely fine.” Jax laughed, knowing Opie was right. “Did it have something to do with the Russians?” Ope asked, “Russian protection on the inside. Gotta say that surprised me, considering everything that went down.” 

Opie studied Jax, seeing that his best friend was thinking about what he was saying, “I think you did what you had to do to make sure the club didn’t suffer any more casualties on the inside, and now you’re in a debt that you don’t know how to pay off,” he theorized, wondering if Jax had contacted his old lover for aid in exchange for something. Finally he got a reaction from Jax. 

“No man,” he shook his head.

Ope looked doubtful. “Then why are you so fucking tense?” Opie cocked his head, “Complicated history?”

Jax gruffed, “You could say that.” He lit a smoke and took a deep drag. Despite the stony expression on his brothers face, Opie could see Jax’s hands shaking. Ope took his hand and squeezed it. Glancing around, he brought it up and kissed the back of Jax’s hand. Jax snatched his hand away. “Don’t do that,” he muttered. “You’re getting married in a couple of hours.” 

Opie cocked his head, “Lyla don’t mind.” 

With everything he had learned about Isaak and his partner Victor, Jax already felt like his skin was paper-thin. Never again would he put himself in that position, even if Lyla didn’t mind. Jax shot him a sharp look, and Opie was taken aback at the angrily wounded look in his best friends eyes as he snapped, “I mind.” 

Opie sighed and nodded, “This got something to do with your ex rolling into town?” Jax looked at him in surprise. “Don’t give me that fucking look, Jax. I saw the way he looked at you. Isaak Sirko”

“How the fuck did you know?”

“I’ve got eyes,” Ope repeated, as if it was obvious. “I know you Jax.” 

Jax sighed and pulled his hair out of his face. “I don’t know what to do, Ope.” 

“I get that. Just know you got me.” 

“He… he had someone else,” Jax whispered. “They’d been together for fifteen fucking years, and I… I didn’t know.” Jax just looked away. “And I… I can’t deal with more of that.” 

Ope nodded to himself, seeing the pain Jax was feeling. “Look, man. When I said Lyla don’t mind. I meant it. I didn’t cheat on her. What happened between us, she knows.”

“So what. As long as you fuck guys, it doesn’t count?” 

Ope yanked Jax closer, refusing to allow him to close up and pull away, “She don’t mind because it’s you. Because it’s you and me, and we’ve always been a package deal. She always knew that.”

Jax snorted, “Not like this.” 

“I know. And if you’re not there, I get that. I accept that. If it was just a release in desperate times, I accept that. I get that with your shit with Isaak that it’s a sore subject, but if you ever doubt, mi casa, es su casa. That ain’t ever gonna change.” Ope paused not knowing how to continue. 

“Your hands are shaking,” Jax pointed out. “Wedding nerves?” 

Ope shook his head. “No. I love you Jax.”

“Ope -”

“Shut up, let me finish,” Ope said roughly. “I love you. In every fucking meaning of the word. Lyla and I are getting hitched for practical reasons, Jax. We ain’t in love. We’re friends. I need someone to help me with the kids, take care of them if something happens to me. She needs a dad for Piper and better place for him to grow up. We’re co-parenting.”

Jax did not know what the fuck to do with that information. 

“She knows Jax. I don’t want us to end. If that means I’m not walking down that aile tonight, that’s cool with the both of us. If you’re not there, or if you don’t feel that way, that’s ok. I’ll… deal. But you are not my second choice, Jax. You’re my first choice. Always.” Ope swallowed heavily. “Even if the club will never know, you’re my first choice.” 

Jax trembled. Exactly why, he did not know, but Opie’s words warmed him and the ground felt a little steadier beneath his feet. He still didn’t know what the hell to do. 

“If you need to talk to Lyla, I’ll take you to her right now. Just… please don’t go back to him.” Ope pleaded. “I can’t stand to see him hurt you.” 

“He came to me in county…” Jax whispered. “I slept with him.” 

Ope sucked in his lip, but didn’t say anything. 

“He’s… so overwhelming,” Jax continued. Even whispering his voice shook. “It’s like my mind turns off and I can’t think. I get so caught up. I forget. Then I remember and it’s like it just happened all over a-again.” Jax’s breath hitched as Ope took his hand andn squeezed him firmly once more. “I’m scared,” Jax confessed. “I’m scared I’ll go back. He just…” 

“Has that affect on you?” Ope asked. Jax nodded quietly, embarrassed. “I’ll always have your back, Jax. No matter what you do.” Opie said firmly. “I’ll always have your back, no matter what you decide, got that?” 

Jax looked over his shoulder, seeing that they were alone. Quickly, he leaned over and kissed Ope. “I know.” 

#

Later that evening as people were dancing, Jax and Lyla embraced, hugging each other tightly. “Thank you,” Jax whispered. “For sharing him with me.” 

Lyla kissed his cheek, “No, thank you Jax. You two have fun tonight,” she winked. “Have an orgasm for me.”

Jax gave a startled laugh. 

As he headed back to the guys, Ope raised a brow at him, “Why you blushing?” 

Jax leaned over and whispered what Lyla had said. Ope raised his other brow. 

“That should be doable.”

**Author's Note:**

> Important: Should I start including the previous chapters in an all-in-one chapter in these alternate story lines, or is the direct link sufficient?  
Let me know in comments. I'll do whatever is easier for you.


End file.
